Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano has been accused of sexually assaulting a man who appeared as a defendant in the court over which Napolitano presided before becoming a television talking head. The accuser, Charles Corbishley, claims that in 1987 Napolitano “forcibly sodomized” him when Corbishley was 20 years old. The alleged incident is said to have occurred in 1987 in New Jersey. Napolitano was a judge in that state.
The facts surrounding the alleged sexual assault read something like a paperback novel. According to Corbishley, he hired a lawyer by the name of Robert Hollis to represent him in a case in which Corbishley was charged with three counts of arson. Napolitano presided over the case. Hollis has since been disbarred and convicted for money laundering as part of a prostitution ring.
During the course of his representation of Corbishley, Hollis advised him that then-Judge Napolitano “can take care of your case now.” According to Corbishley, Hollis told him to go to Napolitano’s home and to bring a snow shovel. When Corbishley arrived at Napolitano’s home, the judge told the man to shovel the driveway. Oddly, the driveway has already been shoveled, according to Corbishley.
Ultimately, Napolitano came outside of the residence, clad in a long trench coal. Napolitano is said to have told Corbishley to come to the side of the house. Once in that location, Napolitano allegedly told Corbishley: “You know, you could be going away for a long time.”
According to Corbishley, Napolitano then forced him to perform oral sex. According to Corbishley, Napolitano told him to be a “good boy.”
After the incident, Corbishley said his lawyer contacted him and told him to plead guilty in his criminal case. Napolitano handed down an extremely lenient sentence in the case of five years probation and 150 hours of community service. Napolitano further ordered that if any probation violation accusations occurred, they were to be brought to Napolitano’s court. Corbishley had a co-defendant who had precisely the same charges. The co-defendant was sentenced to several years in prison. (It is possible that the co-defendant had a prior criminal history that enhanced his sentence; nonetheless, the sentenced handed down to Corbishley is undoubtedly lenient.)
Corbishley maintained that he has suffered a number of different types of injuries and damages as a result of the alleged sexual assault. These include physical ailments, severe anxiety, and recurring suicidal thoughts. Corbishley filed a lawsuit against Napolitano on Friday, September 11, 2020, in federal court.
Napolitano has issued an unequivocal denial to all of the allegations leveled against him:
“These accusations are completely false. Full stop," Napolitano said. "I have never done anything like what the accuser describes, at any time, to anyone, for any reason. I have never had any personal relationship or inappropriate contact or communication of any kind with the man making this accusation. Each and every one of his claims against me are pure fiction. Period.”
Fox News appears to stand solidly behind Napolitano. The network released a statement in support of their judicial analyst, which included: “Judge Napolitano has assured us in the strongest possible terms that these allegations are false and he will fight them aggressively in court.” As of this time, Napolitano appears to be continuing in his on-air capacity with Fox News.
If you’re the victim of sexual assault, including this type of victimization by a person in a position of authority, the legal team at The Doan Law Firm stands ready to fight for your rights and the compensation you deserve. You can schedule an initial consultation with a Doan Law Firm sexual assault lawyer by calling us any time of the day or night at (800) 349-0000.
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